About Time
by doblersboombox
Summary: "Here's to always having somebody amazing to roll with." They made a pact about marrying each other by the age of thirty – except thirty was a decade away and a lot of things could happen. Some of them sooner than they think. (multi-chapter ft. muppet babies)


**Note:** This was written by someone who stopped watching the show several seasons ago, and only watched the last episode (not even a wedding, I just found out about the pact through tumblr) after seeing gifsets that saw Tina and Artie as endgame. So if there are any inconsistencies, think of it as AU? or you can point it out, it's okay. Also, according to google there is no train from Lima to Providence but compared to the things Glee has done, it's a pretty light mistake right? The finale made me realize that I never really stopped shipping these two, and here is the result of the feels. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, Ryan Murphy owns Glee.

* * *

_"Oh well in five years time we could be walking 'round a zoo_  
_With the sun shining down over me and you_  
_And there'll be love in the bodies of the elephants too_  
_And I'll put my hands over your eyes but you'll peep through,"_

Tina knew she was running late. She didn't sleep properly because Mercedes was freaking out about meeting _the_ Yonce, her parents thought she was already "too much of an adult" to be woken up, and she rushed through breakfast that she was still chewing on a maraschino cherry when she practically hoped on her mother's minivan. Not to mention, said minivan broke down in the middle of the road, and she had to run in heeled shoes in fear of missing the train.

Her ticket said that the train was leaving for eleven o'clock. And she distinctly remembered Kurt telling her goodbye yesterday because their train would be leaving an hour earlier. So why was he standing idly in the train station's entrance, phone and Lima Bean frappucino in hand, and luggage surrounding him?

"Oh thank goodness," Kurt said when she neared him. She was panting, her shoes were probably scuffed, and her bags were beaten from her dragging it along the streets. She wanted to go to the washroom stat, but Kurt was already talking non-stop.

"…And so we get here early, you know to get good seats, when Mr. Conductor over there announces that there were technical difficulties for both New York and Providence trains." He takes a quick sip of coffee. "So now I'm sweating like a sinner in church and Rachel just couldn't wait she made one of her dads take her, thus wasting ticket money in the end?"

Well, sucks to be Tina Cohen-Chang. She wanted to punch something. Her legs were already giving out beneath her. She looked at the other stranded passengers, who took up all the available chairs in the lounge. Yay!

"Need a seat?" Someone said behind her. And she didn't have to turn around to figure out who it was.

Artie and Blaine came back from a leisurely stroll that Kurt made them go because the latter couldn't hear _Jane the Virgin_ from his phone with two people going over something called Outlast very loudly. They just rolled around the nearby area and continued to talk about other video games. Artie had his camera on for the most part; he thought some of the footage could make for establishing shots and the like. He made them stop in front of a small, rundown building a little further down the station. It used to be a video store, but now it was infested by raccoons and pesky teenagers.

"No," Tina said adamantly, her back turned to him. He smiled. Tina was one of the few people who never really sat in his lap, despite being one of the few people he'd actually allow to. After she got slushied for the first time, he offered to wheel her around because she looked miserable. Tina told him that his legs were legs and not a piece of furniture. And then she hummed a Smiths song as they headed to science class. This fond memory led him to hold her hand instead, which was his version of her touching his shoulder.

Kurt quirked an eyebrow at this subtle but not unnoticed sign of affection. A part of him thought that he was just putting too much into it, considering Tina and Artie have always been the closest of friends, stutter and valedictorian drama aside. But then she also noticed Tina's face relaxing and Artie's mouth in a Cheshire grin wanting to break free. Kurt's own lips quirked and he tilted his head at Blaine, who thankfully got the hint.

"Guys," Blaine began in his typical cheery voice, "Kurt and I are just going to check up on the trains, alright?" The couple left abruptly without waiting for Tina or Artie's replies. The latter blinked. And the former really wanted to go to the washroom.

"You want a breadstick?" Artie asked. She then turned around and tore off a small piece of the bag of breadsticks on his other hand. He looked well-rested and alert, like someone who had the decency to set his alarm. She, on the other hand…

"You look nice, Tee."

She rolled her eyes at him. Bull crap. He chuckled. And they were holding hands again.

"Okay, you could use some prepping, but this is Lima." He paused; that came out wrong. "What I meant was, I can watch all the stuff alone for a sec. There ain't no muggers here – probably."

Better. She returned the bread in the bag, muttered her thanks, and walked to the washroom, which could really use an upgrade. Good thing she wasn't feeling like peeing. Tina took out for makeup kit from her purse and proceeded to do what she could have done had her parents babied her for the last time.

If there was anything she truly mastered in high school, aside from academics and glee of course, it was applying makeup which, from watching a lot of RuPaul with Kurt back in high school, she regarded as an art form. She created many personas which needed many masks, all in varying brands of mascara and eye shadow, types of clothing, and even hair colors. She liked where was now, but she did miss the good old days of goth. She found a dark shade of lipstick resembling the ones she used as Asian Vampire. She chuckled at "Asian." For a while there, that word packed some heavy racial undertones.

Tina looked at her clothes. She shrugged; it wouldn't clash, so she applied the blood red shade to her lips. There, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

Artie was still alone when she got out of the washroom, except now he was fiddling with his phone. Her thoughts immediately went to a possible girlfriend. They made a pact about marrying each other by the age of thirty – except thirty was a decade away and a lot of things could happen. She could break off it, and the same went for him, even though he was the one who initiated it in the first place. These were not things she should be thinking about before leaving for Providence, and he, New York.

"Kurt just left again," Artie explained as he stowed his phone back in his bag. "The operator said it'll be anytime soon. I think they're just having a quickie somewhere, honeymoon period and all."

She groaned. He laughed.

"Getting tired of me already? Come on, marriage is gonna be more than this."

Seeing as he acknowledged it, maybe she was wrong. Maybe they could discuss it now. Who knew how long would it be before they'd see each other again? The second year of college was bound to be busier than the first. They were so caught up in that moment of nostalgia that Tuesday lunch brought and they never got the chance to talk about the in-between. Whenever they were on the phone, they just talked about school, and whenever they met, it was always with other people. Maybe the trains broke for a purpose.

"There is no spoon," Artie said seriously. She looked at him strangely. She knew where it was from, she just needed the context. He smiled. "There are no limits to the pact, Tee," he elaborated, as if he were able to read her mind. "What was stated that night – that's it. When we reach thirty is the deal. So everything else is free game. I mean, I don't want to constrict us from the college experience."

Tina smirked. "Well, I think you've already had your fair share of college experience." She wasn't exactly jealous. Who'd be jealous of someone who got Chlamydia? In fact, she thought it was a little bit funny. Unfortunate, but it felt like something out of Chums. "Seriously Artie, you have your fun. And use protection this time." Cue laugh track.

Artie blushed at what she said. A) It was a good burn, and B) They were that comfortable with their friendship. He had definitely learned his lesson with that one. "I would say "you too," but I don't know if you're getting any."

Tina punched him lightly on the arm. She was also grinning.

"Okay, let's get serious for a sec," he continued, his tone a little too serious this time, she observed. "I mean, I wouldn't ask you to get married if I weren't all in about it. And that's just asking ya know. That ain't the proposal."

Well, that brought her back to the ground. "Artie, we aren't even together. And besides, didn't you think our glee club has had enough weddings to last for at least a handful of years?"

He nodded. "I'm just saying that we were friends first. We've always been, ya know? And as your friend, I vow to always honor our relationship, no matter what happens to it. Even if we don't get married, say you find a good-looking guy, and I see someone else across the room, I'll be here for you. I think friendship's a nice foundation to a happy marriage yeah?"

He was never one for talking, Tina knew that. Sure, he made his voice heard in glee club, and he was a commanding director now. But between the two of them, she was the one who was more in touch with feelings. So this time, she simply placed both of her hands on his shoulders. No words needed.

Artie nearly closed his eyes when her thumbs began to circle near his back. That had always been her thing whenever she wheeled him – one hand on the handle, the other on his skin. And that was the thing he was going to miss most: actual contact. Phones were helpful in keeping in touch, but he'd rather say what he said earlier in person since he actually could.

"Train to Providence, Rhode Island – now boarding!" Her eyes opened wide and she immediately gathered her bags, her hands abruptly leaving Artie. Kurt walked briskly towards her to help. She took her ticket out of her purse as she walked towards the platform.

Tina looked behind her. Artie was waving, his other hand doing the shaka sign, a closed smile on his lips. Blaine already gave her things to the conductor. "Miss, what are you waiting for?" She blinked at Kurt's expectant face. She and Artie spent a good time talking about "the deep stuff," as his fourteen-year-old self would've said, and she didn't give a proper goodbye?

She walked back to the boy, now a young man, her friend since high school and beyond, her most probable husband as of 2015. Their eyes met briefly, and both of them felt a sudden spark in the air. There was bound to be a connection, and or tension. It would always be there. She pressed her lips on his cheek and whispered something in his ear. His hand ran up her back, and his breath touched her neck.

On their own train, Kurt couldn't help but ask what Tina whispered to Artie before leaving in the nick of time.

"Meet me in Montauk," Artie answered simply, still too stunned to explain. That moment was cinematic; he could see it in a storyboard, in film even. He wanted to draw it on something, even on a piece of tissue. But he also didn't want to take everything from his memory. That was for the both of them only.

"I don't get it," Kurt replied. "Is it a reference?"

Artie sighed. Was he supposed to believe that Kurt hasn't watched _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_ yet? He knew what they were watching next movie night. "Hail Hydra, then."

"Ooh, I know that!" Blaine chimed in. But Artie didn't reply. _It was a real clever reference, Tee._ The train station, the way she used to change her hair color every other week, the fact that he was wearing a beanie now. He looked out the window. It was very sunny and the clouds looked cottony. He wondered what she thought of the view. He hoped, and he knew; it meant that they were a happier version of Joel and Clementine.


End file.
